Means for cutting hard construction materials



April 21, 1970 R. MEIER v3,507,231

MEANS FOR CUTTING HARD CONSTRUCTIONUMATERIALS Filed April 25, 196e F/f F/G. Z

INVENTOR. ROERT ME/ER United States Patent O 3,507,231 MEANS FOR CUTTING HARD CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS Robert Meier, Seestrasse 158, Kusnacht-Zurich, Switzerland Filed Apr. 25, 1968, Ser. No. 724,016 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Nov. 3, 1967,

Int. Cl. F23b 7/00; F23d 21/00 U.S. Cl. 110-1 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A torch constructed as tube of steel, iron and the like material having therein fastened lengthwise weldable wires. Oxygen is passed through the tube and wires, whereby the ignited tube burns away at its end and the resulting heat burns holes according to melting process in hard materials such as concrete, rock, cast iron and the like. A feature is that the tube has at least one annular groove which extends into the interior of the tube and by contracting acts clampingly on the wires.

This invention relates to improvements in oxygen burning torch pipes which are utilized for burning holes or cutting hard construction materials, such as concrete, rock, cast iron and the like.

Heretofore, it has been known to employ torches for burning apertures and severing joints in concrete, rocks, cast iron or other hard materials, such torches being constructed from steel pipes or iron jackets in which wires of weldable material are placed. A flow of oxygen is passed through these burning tubes and ignited at one end. When burning holes or severing joints, the torch is gently rotated and slightly pressed against the hard material. To prevent any change in the position of the wires in the jacket and to maintain a steady flow of oxygen between the wires and through the tube in which they are situated, it is necessary to attach the wires to the tube-shaped jacket. For this purpose it has been proposed to cut, on the outside of the tube, individual notches lwhich effect a side pressure on the wires. Another suggestion has been to shape the cylindrical tube, upon filling it with the wires, into a triangular sectional form. It has also been proposed that before filling the tube with wires, the wires should be bent one or more times so that they obstruct one another. However, not only are the aforementioned modes of attachment insutliciently controllable, but also, they have been found ditiicult to effect and are prohibitively expensive.

It is therefore the primary object of this invention to provide an oxygen torch for burning apertures and severing joints in hard construction materials, which torch includes controllable means for securing wires therein.

In the past, torches have been constructed with unevenly disposed grooves, which grooves constrict the tube casing thereby clamping the wires contained therein. However, the prior art arrangement of the grooves seriously disturbs the symmetry of the interior of the tube. This unsymmetrical arrangement of the prooves causes an irregular flow and consumption of oxygen.

Therefore, another object of this invention resides in the provision of a torch which permits the ow of gases such as oxygen therethrough to be substantially unobstructed.

A further object of this invention is to provide a torch eiciently utilizing oxygen for burning apertures and severing joints in a manner which is economically eicient.

3,507,231 Patented Apr. 2l, 1970 ICC These, together Iwith the various ancillary objects and features of this invention, which will become apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained by this burning tube, preferred embodiments of lwhich have been illustrated in the accompanying drawings, by way of example only, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational Iview of a first embodiment of a blowpipe with an inserted tube constructed in accordance with the concepts of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of a portion of the torch and weldable wires disposed therein taken along the plane of line 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of one portion of a torch showing one embodiment of a groove disposed therealong; parts being broken away to show other parts in detail;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational IView of a portion of a torch showing a thermally mounted ring attached thereto; parts being broken away to show other parts in detail; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of a section of a torch pipe showing a thermally mounted ring clamped by a nut, parts being broken away to show other parts in detail. With continuing reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views, reference numeral 10 is generally used to designate the torch of the present invention. The torch 10 includes an oxygen supply 12 having a control valve 14, an insertable cylindrical steel tube 18 attached via connecting member 16, connecting member 16 being of greater diameter than tube 18. Tube 18 is hollow and filled with weldable wires 20 as shown in FIG. 2, having at least one annular groove 22 which will be described more fully hereinbelow.

The problems posed by the prior art are obviated by the annular nature of the grooves provided by the present invention. Upon insertion of the weldable wires 20 within the tube 18, the outer portion of tube 18 is symmetrically deformed by localized constriction, thereby causing the inside of the tube to buckle, simultaneously clamping wires 20. Although the diameter of tube 18 is decreased by this deformation, the wires remain in substantially parallel alignment, and thus do not disturb the even flow of oxygen through the lube. Furthermore, the reduced consumption of oxygen renders this torch economically more attractive than conventional torches.

FIGS. 3 5 represent alternative constructions of these grooves.

FIG. 3 provides an annular recess or groove 24 made in a conventional manner, for example, on a lathe.

To produce this recess a tool consisting of three knurling rollers can be employed, the rollers being at equal distances from one another, their reciprocal distances diminishing gradually during the rotation about the tube. The depth of groove 24 isso selected that the deformation of the outside of the tube brought about during the processing by outside pressure causes a corresponding contraction of the inside diameter of the tube at 26 and simultaneously to clamping of wires 28.

In a second embodiment of this invention, shown by FIG. 4, Wires 30 are clamped when a heated ring 32, mounted on the tube jacket 18, contracts upon cooling and shrinking. During the shrinking of the ring great forces develop, leading to the formation of grooves 34, the inner contraction 36 of tube 15 causing the clamping of wires 30.

FIG. 5 shows a construction modification wherein a ring 38 is mounted. In this embodiment, a shallow groove 40 may be preformed and the ring 38 may be mounted upon heating, the subsequent shrinkage or contraction of ring 38 not yet causing any change in the` shape of the tube jacket 18. Pressure is exerted by an outer clamp or casing 42 which is secured to tube 18 by means of a screw thread 44, the inner portion of outer casing 42 having a conical opening 46 therein and defining as tapered Cam surface 39. As outer casing 42 moves axially in the direction of arrow 48, ring 38 is pressed against the outer portion of tube 18 by the cam surface 39. This pressure may be continued until the wires 50 are sufciently camped through the resulting inner constriction at 52. The casing 42 may be an integral part of connection member 16.

The torch may have one or more of the above-described annular grooves depending on the length of the tube. Furthermore, if a milled groove is formed, it may be smooth or raised.

I claim:

1. A torch for cutting hard construction materials comprising a gas supply line, control means for controlling ow of gas through said supply line, a tube inserted in said supply line, means connecting and communicating said supply line with said tube, and a plurality of Weldable -wires in said tube, and means on said tube for constricting the inside diameter of said tube for causing groove means on `said tube and simultaneously clampingly holding said wires in said tube to reduce ow of gas through said tube.

2. A torch according to claim 1, wherein said groove 4 means includes at least one groove at each end of said tube.

3. A torch according to claim 1, wherein said groove means is a milled groove.

4. A torch according to claim 3, wherein the surface of said groove means is knurled.

5. A torch according to claim 1, including a ring about said tube clampingly engaging said tube compressing said tube to form said groove means.

6. A torch according to claim 5, including a clamp means engaging said ring with said tube, said clamp means engaging said ring forcing said ring into said groove means.

7. A torch according to claim 6, including cam means on said clamp, said clamp being threadedly engaged on said tube.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,631,290 6/1927 Sheedy et al. 2,210,640 8/ 1940 Swafford. 3,260,076 7/ 1966 Humberg 431--99 CHARLES I. MYHRE, Primary Examiner U.S. C1. X.R. 431-99 

